Transformational leaders recognized with the 2023 President’s Medal

On April 20, three veteran educators were honored with the President’s Medal, Indiana State University’s highest award for faculty. The recipients were Dr. Chris MacDonald, Dr. Timothy Hawkins, and Dr. Liz Brown.

Dr. MacDonald, Professor and Chair of the Department of Applied Clinical and Educational Sciences, has been at ISU for 30 years. She has served on a variety of university committees and initiatives and was chosen as Chair of the Faculty Senate on two occasions (20152016 and 2019-2020). She was instrumental in helping guide the university through the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and the move to online instruction for the last part of the spring 2020 semester. She teaches various courses, from first-year classes to doctoral seminars in her area of expertise. As department chairperson, MacDonald has led efforts for the accreditation of multiple programs with several different bodies, and she oversees the interdisciplinary Grosjean Clinic.

Dr. Hawkins, a Professor in the Department of History, is in his twenty-third year at ISU. He has served twice as Chair of the Faculty Senate, 20162017 and 2018-2019, in addition to numerous roles on other Senate committees, the Senate Executive Committee, and special initiatives. He is an internationally acclaimed scholar in the field of Imperial Spain and the independence period in Latin America, having published two major books and numerous articles in multiple languages. Hawkins served as President of the Southeastern Council of Latin American Studies after twice receiving its prestigious Sturgis Leavitt Award for Best Article; he has received a Mellon Research Grant and a Fulbright Fellowship for research in Guatemala. He teaches courses on Latin American history and Latin American studies, at multiple levels, both in person and online.

Dr. Brown, Professor and Chair of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, has been at ISU for twenty-two years. She has excelled in teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels in Mathematics, Foundational Studies, and Honors in offering 38 unique courses. Her accolades include winning the 2009 College of Arts and Sciences Education Excellence Award, the Outstanding Dedication to First Year Student Success Award, and the Caleb Mills Award in 2011. She has maintained a steady pace of scholarly production while serving as Department chair and as Chair of the Faculty Senate, 20172018 and 2020-2021, and in numerous other university and college positions of leadership, including Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences. Brown has been critical in the expansion of online graduate programs in Mathematics and the creation of new degree programs in Mathematics Education and Data Science.

The impact of donor giving at Indiana State University is helping establish and advance University programs and initiatives. The philanthropic passions of our donors are improving the lives of our students through scholarships, hands-on learning, program and facility development, and much more.

Steve ’70 and Gloria Bailey made the largest individual gift to ISU with their $8 million donation to name the Bailey College of Engineering and Technology. The gift will support three areas—student scholarships, faculty excellence, and the Dean’s Innovation Fund.

Darwin McCallian ’75 gave $1.225 million to create the McCallian Executive Leadership Forum to bring influential thought leaders, including C-suite and senior executives, to ISU to share their leadership philosophy, business expertise, and experiences. His gift also created an endowed professorship in the Scott College of Business.

Don Dudine ’67 increased his planned gift to the School of Music and Student Philanthropy Organization by $1 million. He has now committed more than $2 million to support multiple initiatives at ISU.

Bob ’61, ’63 and Penny ’67, ’70, ’91 Schafer made a gift commitment to support the men’s and women’s basketball programs, the insurance and risk management program, and the school of nursing. Bob is the former Vice President of Administrative Affairs at ISU, and both are steadfast Sycamore supporters.

The trust of Dr. J. Lewis ’38 and Florence Stoelting supports the area of greatest need at Indiana State. Dr. Stoelting was an OBGYN who practiced for more than 37 years in Terre Haute, and Florence was a registered nurse with strong ties to the community.

The trust of Edith B. Neiman ’44 provided a $500,000 gift to the general scholarship fund at Indiana State University. Students must have a 3.25 GPA or above to qualify for the scholarship.

The estate of the late B. Curtis Wilkinson, Jr. ’69 will endow the Curt and Leslie Wilkinson Presidential Scholarship in the Honors College.

Union Health gave a $300,000 gift to fund a nursing student success center and provide professional support staff and peer tutors for nursing and pre-nursing students. Recognizing this gift, the Union Health Nursing Skills Lab was named in the College of Health and Human Services.

Tammi Spence and Bill Watson ’87, ’00 gave $250,000 in support of men’s basketball, alumni association initiatives and priorities of the Be So BOLD Campaign. Tammi and Bill are champions of the Terre Haute community and are proud to support the Sycamore experience.

Dr. Erik Dalton, the creator of myoskeletal alignment techniques, made an estate commitment of $250,000 to the massage therapy program. Dr. Dalton is an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Applied Medicine and Rehabilitation at ISU.

Dr. David Perrin ’77 made an additional $220,000 commitment in his estate to the David H. Perrin Graduate Athletic Training Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship will support diverse graduate students studying athletic training.

The estate of the late Dr. Dale McKee ’57, ’60 provided an additional $200,000 to scholarships established by the McKee family. These include support for nursing student scholarships and the honors college.

Li Xiao ’99 gave $200,000 in support of the faculty in the Economics Department. Mrs. Xiao wanted to celebrate the legacy of the economics faculty members that positively impacted her career and life.

The John W. Anderson Foundation provided a $150,000 gift that supports the Fund for ISU and the Project Success initiative.

Dave and Jeanne Husain made a $150,000 gift to support the Project Success endowment. Project Success is a Lilly Endowment funded initiative that provides support and programming to increase the retention rates of students.

Walt ’71 and Kristy Botich made a $125,000 gift to support the men’s basketball program. As a long-time supporter of Sycamore basketball,

(continued on page 30) the Botichs enthusiastically stepped up and made this generous contribution in support of Coach Schertz and the staff.

Sean Manaea, former Sycamore baseball standout and ISU Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, made a $125,000 gift on Give to Blue Day to support the Sycamore Baseball team. Sean played baseball at ISU from 2011-2013 and is currently a pitcher for the San Francisco Giants.

Dr. Karla Hawkins Wendelin ’68, ’69 and her husband, Tom, established an endowed scholarship to support students pursuing a degree in elementary education. The scholarship gives preference to first-generation college students from Indiana.

The ISU Credit Union, under the leadership of CEO Marie “Sam” Shanks ’85, continued its long-standing support of multiple initiatives, including the President’s Dinner, President’s Society Tailgate, alumni events, and athletic sponsorships.

Trustee Troy ’97 and Melissa Woodruff gave $100,000 to the men’s basketball program. The Woodruff’s have supported multiple causes at ISU, including the Porter Cancer Research Center, the Bailey College of Engineering and Technology, and Sycamore Athletics.

Jack ’55 and Joyce ’54 Rentschler made a $100,000 gift on Give to Blue Day to support Sycamore Athletics and the Bayh College of

Education. The Rentschlers received the March On! Award in 2022 for their long-time support of their alma mater.

Republic Airways gave $100,000 to create two endowed scholarships in support of minority students in aviation. The scholarships are named after Willa B. Brown and Esteban Hotesse, two individuals who significantly contributed to advancing diversity and inclusion in aviation.

Billy Joe and Nerissa Jay contributed $100,000 on Give to Blue Day to support the Theater Department. Inspired to give by their daughterin-law, Dr. Alicia Jay, a professor in the Department of Theater, the Jays’ gift will support students and faculty within the department.

Dr. Jan McCarthy, an emeritus faculty member, made a new $100,000 gift commitment to support the Bayh College of Education Early Childhood program. Dr. McCarthy was a leading expert in childhood education, developing multiple childhood education degree programs and earning more than $6.3M in grant funding during her career at Indiana State.

Doug Egly ’81 committed $100,000 in his estate to support the general scholarship fund at Indiana State.

Dr. Denise Collins, former Dean of the Graduate School at Indiana State, made a $100,000 estate commitment to support the Be So BOLD Campaign.

*Donor gifts are reflective of giving from August 2022 through April 2023.